Racing boots for horses



Nov. 15, 1966 R. M. H. CODE ETAL 3,284,989

RACING BOOTS FOR HORSES Original Filed May 19, 1964 INVENTORS.

RHE TA MH. CODE.

JOSEPH B. L/NDECKER.

United States Patent 19, 1964, Ser. No. 368,677. 1965, Ser. No.

Claims. (Cl. 54-82) This invention appertains to novel and usefulimprovements in protective devices for use in conjunction with racinghorses feet, this invention being a division of our patent application,Serial No. 368,677, filed May 19, 1964.

The object of our invention is to provide simple, durable, light-weightdevices of inexpensive construction which may be easily and quicklyapplied to racing horses feet.

A further object of our invention is .to provide an improved boot,having the main body portions thereof formed of rubber embodyinginternal reinforcement means and to fit snugly around the feet and hoofof a racing horse with its outer surface smooth and free ofobstructions.

A further object is to provide an improved bell boot for racing horseswhich includes novel reinforcing means em bodied therein and the bootcan be used on either right or left foot thereof.

A further object is to provide protective type boots for racing horsesmade essentially of formed rubber portions and including novelreinforcing means such as nylon embedded or embodied therein, thesynthetic reinforcing means being of pr-oteinlike structure which isadapted for fashioning into filaments of extreme toughness, strength,and elasticity.

Other objects and advantages reside in the particular structure of theinvention and of the various parts thereof together with the novelcombinations and sub-combinations as will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in'the art upon reference to the attached drawing in connectionwith the following specification, wherein the invention is shown,described and claimed.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a racing horse in action along with a sulkyand the driver, showing the bell type boot applied to each of the horsesfront hoofs;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the preferred form of the bell typeboot of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a side view showing the bell boot in position upon a horseshoof;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the boot taken substantiallyton line 4-4 of FIG. 2',

' FIGURE 5 is a-fragmentary top plan view of the boot, with a part insection showing the reinforcing elements.

The invention has been developed to provide an improved device forprotecting racing horses feet against injuries. Devices of this natureare well-known in the art. However, it is one of the prime purposes ofthis invention to provide an improved racing boot, such as a bell boot,or the like, increasing the wearability of the boots by use of saidreinforcing means. It is most desirable to make the quarter boots andscalper boots interchangeable by embodiment of a similar design, theright boot being the same as the left boot in configuration, in eachtype of boot.

The main function of the boots, of course, is to protect the leg areas,especially the lower leg areas, such as the fetlocks, pasterns andquarters, against injuries which might occur as a result of blows to thelower leg areas by a shod hoof of another leg, the accident ofinterfering in kicking, or throwing a shoe. Racing horses always wearsharp racing shoes of exactly the right weight and shape knocked by theopposite shod foot, or

3,284,989 Patented Nov. 15, 1966 ice for each horse. These sharp shoescause injury more quickly than a plain unshod hoof, and they cut theboots quicker than a plain unsho d hoof.

The most common injuries requiring the protection of boots are thosecaused by brushing when the inside of the leg, usually on or in theregion of the fetlock joints, is by over-reaching rear of the foreleg.hind legs may be enof over-reaching. racing horses, only our lightWeight reinforced boots, the bell boots, quarter boots and scalperboots, will give the very necessary protection to the lower leg regionboth during the long training period and when actually participating ina race without the danger of being ripped off, or ripped beyondprotection during workouts, or final races.

The common bell boot as used, also called over-reach boot, is usuallymade from almost pure rubber, which allows considerable elasticity andfit fairly tight, above and adjacent the hoof, is easily cut and madeunfit for further use if once cut by a kick from another foot with asharp shoe. However, our bell-boots are reinforced and only the rubberis cut by a kick and therefore are not ruined by said kick.

The greatest need for boots because of the dangerous form of over-reachwhich strikes the area of the fetlock joint and causes permanent damageto the tendon of the leg, is in harness racing. Gracefully gaited horsespulling delicately fashioned sulkies in close-quarters competition makea charming spectacle, but one does not always note that a horse isbrushed once or twice in a race to get a good burst of speed each time,or can be Whipped or run into by an unscrupulous driver of anotherhorse, or run into by another close horse "by accident, and this oftencauses overreaching and resulting in permanent damage to the horse.

The trotting race is a popular form of harness racing which draws over15 million people a year, and the trotting horse must be protected frominjuries by using boots, and the like. Trotters often require bell bootson the front feet and scalpers on the hind feet because these horseslift their feet in a kitty-cornered manner and put them down almosttogether; they sometimes clip the left hind hoof with a sharp shoeagainst the right front foot when running. The bell boots and scalperstake the gait instead of ripping the foot, the front hairline of theback foot or the back quarter of the front foot. The timing of front andrear opposite feet must be put down split seconds apart to save injury,and prevent accidents. Many things can break this natural rhythmictiming of the trotters feetkwhen racing, such as slipping on a slipperymuddy trac Show horses and saddle horses often wear quarter boots on thefront feet thereof to prevent bruises and cuts in an area which issensitive and difficult to heal. The hooves of show horses may besurprisingly long and need a longer shoe; this shoe often interfereswith their other feet, thus requiring the use of boots to preventinjuries. However, racing horses are in greater need of requiringreinforced boots since racing horses are subjected to more serious inuries.

Referring specifically to the drawing, wherein like reference charactershave been used throughout the several views to designate like parts,reference is first made primarily to FIGURES 1 through 5 wherein a belltype boot is shown, 10 designates a racing horse having bell type boots11 applied to all its hoofs, the horse being shown harnessed to a sulky14 with a single seat for the driver 15. The horses hoof 16, as shown byFIG. 3, has a shoe 17 applied thereto. The fetlock 18 and ankle 19 areshown above the hoof in FIGURES l and 3, and the pastern 23 is shownbelow the fetlock 18. See FIGURE 3.

when the hind toes strike into the Also the shins of either the fore ordangered as a result For horses such as The bell foot 11 according toour invention comprises an upper section, or bell, generally designatedby 32 with a rolled upper free edge 33 to protect the horses ankle fromchafing, is all made of pure rubber, which allows considerableelasticity. Vertical ribs 34 are located around the exterior surface ofbell 32 so that a reinforcing eiTect is distributed around the wholeupper surface of the globular body, or bell 32; the ribs 34 are integralwith the body portion and extend from the lower peripheral edge 35 aboutthe large lower opening and upwardly past the equator 46 of the shelland substantially to the neck portion 36 below the upper free edge 33.The ribs 34 being of solid rubber, integral with the bell, are of largercrosssectional area at the equator of the shell than at their ends. uponthe size of the bell boot 11 and the uniform spacing of the ribs, butall ribs in any shell are usually of approximately the same length. Theshell and ribs being of soft, elastic rubber, are subject This improvedbell boot 11 has additional reinforcing members 42 arranged in the shellof the boot and between the vertical ribs thereof; see FIGURES 4 and 5.Since the ribs are closer together adjacent the neck of the shell, thespaces between the ribs are likewise reduced at the upper portionsthereof. The reinforcing members 42 are fiber units which permits all ofthe attached fibers to be thoroughly embedded in the latex body of theshell itself; the fibers are generally synthetic fibers such as rayon,and allow the fibers to be individually movable apart from each in ahorizontal direction when the shell is stretched when applied over thehoof of a horse. The fiber reinforcing units 42 reinforce the thin areasof the shell while the ribs 34 reinforce the areas between the fiberunits 42. The boots protect the leg areas such as the fetlocks, pasternsand quarters against injuries resulting from blows of another leg Withhoof and a sharp shoe. However, one

the boot from being ripped beyond usefulness.

Although we have described our invention with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has beenmade only by way of example, and that changes in details of constructionand the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention here presented.

Having thus described this invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A unitary bell boot for horses, comprising a hollow globular bodyportion made of flexible latex material having a top neck portion with acircular opening at the ribs.

2. The bell boot according to claim 1 wherein said dense reinforcingmembers consist of short synthetic fibers individually movable when theWall of the bell boot is stretched.

being trapezoidal in configuration with top and bottom edges thereofparallel relative to each other.

4. A bell boot for horses feet comprising a hollow substantiallyglobular body portion made of molded rubstretched, solely in theadjacent rubber material surrounding the reinforcing members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 310,044 12/1884Golden 54-82 482,041 9/1892 Hurd 54 82 3,112,219 1/1964 Cohen 54 82SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner. H. M. CHAMBLEE, Asn'stant Examiner.

4. A BELL BOOT FOR HORSES'' FEET COMPRISING A HOLLOW SUBSTANTIALLYGLOBULAR BODY PORTION MADE OF MOLDED RUBBER MATERIAL AND HAVING ACIRCULAR BOTTOM OPENING AND A TOP NECK PORTION WITH A TOP CIRCULAROPENING SMALLER IN DIAMETER THAN THAT OF THE SAID BOTTOM OPENING,EXTERIOR VERTICAL RIBS INTEGRAL WITH THE BODY PORTION AND EXTENDING FROMTHE BOTTOM OF SAID BODY PORTION TO SAID TOP NECK PORTION, SAID RIBSBEING OF GREATER THICKNESS MIDWAY BETWEEN THE ENDS THEREOF AND TAPERINGTO A THIN EDGE AT EACH END THEREOF, SAID RIBS ARRANGED VERTICALLY ANDSPACED HORIZONTALLY FROM EACH OTHER SYMMETRICALLY AROUND THE BODY ANDDENSE FIBROUS REINFORCING MEMBERS ENCASED WITHIN THE RUBBER WALL OF SAIDBODY PORTION BETWEEN SAID RIBS.